Hide Within the Blossom: Hanagakure no Sato
by Tamagachi-chan
Summary: Three years following the disaster of the Konoha Chuunin Exams there has been a brief lull in the fighting between the major villages. In place of this pseudo-peace a new ninja village has bloomed- Welcome to the gates of Hanagakure!
1. Prologue: The History

Greetings everyone! I know that some of you have been waiting for me to continue my other story, but before I do so I am planning a MAJOR rewrite. Until then I have a new project to divide my time with. Hanagakure no Sato is a fictional village of my own creation within the Naruto verse- characters from the series may make an appearance later on, but for now all characters will be of original making.

I do not own Naruto or any related work associated with the series.

**Prologue: The History  
**

Of the many qualities that start up the wheel of progress for Hidden villages within the shinobi continents, trade and commerce would likely be near the peak of the list. A village old in creation, though new to its recently gained title of Hidden Village, Hanagakure no Sato had finally begun placing its foothold into the stirrups of success.

Settled firmly between the three countries of Sound, Fire, and Waterfall, the village hidden in the blossoms owes much of its wealth to the crossing canals formed from two major rivers that cut their paths from the west coast to the borders of Wind and Stone, and from the north coast into Fire. A constant flow of cargo ships carried goods from every walk of life along these canals, bringing travelers, merchants, mercenaries, ninja, and other such opportunists to the crossroads in search of their fortune.

Hanagakure was formerly named Yotsukado, a small town of simple merchants and farmers; the canals providing transport for wares as well as precious sediment that make the soil exceedingly fertile for crops. However, with the wars waged on all corners of the continent it was only a matter of time before troubled shinobi, running from the pressures of duty, honor, and death, arrived and made their own attempt at starting over. Small militias, much like the one within Takigakure, banned together to protect the port town from raiders and other enemies. Gradually more and more ninja joined them, lured in by the feeling of freedom in a village of "misfits" (so called by the fact that most of the ninja were outcasts), and eventually began having children onto which they passed their training and techniques. A huge diversity of shinobi with varying skills and levels of talents within the village caught the attention of nobles and daimyos alike, bringing in missions and another form of income. The village was embarking on its way to greater power.

Growth spawned larger buildings and production of industry, and before anyone realized it the small town was evolving into a larger town and then into a small city. The ninja population boomed in response to the rapid success of acquired missions, so finally an academy was built to teach the new generations. The final step that tied the knot happened shortly after the war between Iwa and Konoha. Powerful tensions bridging the two led to hasty alliances made with the village acting as the buffer zone; far too many advantages lay in allying with a village not only holding up the economy of the many surrounding it, but the potential transport of the canals was also an edge. Business for Yotsukado increased and the tiny city transformed into an enormous one.

The city was named for a blossom for the three layers of Petals it formed when viewed from above. The Inner Petals house the civilian area and the main port through which the boats unload and reload their cargo. A gigantic wall, rimmed with defensive spikes and gatehouses for guards, outlines the Inner Petals and provides protection for the heart of the village. The Secondary Petals are the sanctuary of the shinobi clans, forming the living barracks and flat plains for training grounds through which they spend their days. Outlets from the walls lead irrigation systems out through the Secondary Petals, providing water for the ninjas as well as another facet to their training. Finally there is the Outer Petals which act as the vast farmland, the water for crops led to them from the Secondary Petals. All in all, it is a simple matter for the shinobi to go out and defend the Outer Petals from attack, or draw behind the walls to protect their civilians. The village symbol pays homage to the flower shape surrounding the canals, as well as to the central importance they play as the foundation the village sits upon: two lines are drawn perpendicular to one another in an equal cross-shape, the outer ends of each line forming a hook shape that all flow in a clockwise direction- thus forming a simplified flower design that would be etched into the forehead protectors of all shinobi claiming allegiance to the village of blossoms.

The government originally consisted of a council of elders, old merchants and farmers whose families helped to create the foundations of the village itself. Yet with the rise of shinobi power and the status of Hidden village on the horizon, it was imperative that a Kage be elected into office. The top Jounin held countless conferences and tests to narrow the selection, until finally a choice was made and they elected their Shodaime, the Gurenkage; Otome Fuji. Following her term the village was christened "Hanagakure no Sato" and a tower for the Gurenkage placed at the apex of the canals, forever looking out over the village. Now holding all the sources to become a Hidden village, all that is needed to be officially recognized by the rest of the continent would be to play host for the up and coming Chuunin Exams...

Tbc

Translator:

Hanagakure no Sato- Village hidden within the blossoms

Yotsukado- four corners; crossroads

Takigakure- Village hidden within the waterfall

Shodaime- the First (in reference to the first Kage)

Gurenkage- Shadow of the crimson lotus

Otome Fuji- Wisteria maiden (in reference to the traditional ending scene in Kabuki Theater)

Author's comment: From this point I am including a translator of sorts for the Japanese used within the story- words commonly used, however, will not be repeated (as it would be redundant). If I use something that you don't understand and haven't made a translation for it then feel free to alert me. Please review if you have questions or comments- flames will predictably be ignored.


	2. Ch 1: Enter the Tiger

My story finally has beta readers!! In the future it shall be noted that both Mitsumaru and Electro-Imperial are my beta's and partners for this story- they may likely write out their own side stories that are linked to the Hanagakure world (so check them out soon! XD )

I do not own Naruto or any related work associated with the series.

**Chapter One: Enter the Tiger**

Sunlight crested over the distant hills, snaking tendrils weaving their way through the deep expanse of blue overhead. Still early enough to be considered ungodly by those that dwelled below the birds finally pushed themselves to start their usual bickering. Morning had arrived in the village of Hanagakure.

The early shift for guard duty at the Gurenkage tower settled down for their session, relieving their yawning counterparts of their posts. The tower itself stretched with neck-popping height up from the cross-ways of the canals, the windows to the balcony of the top floor slung open to allow a wondrous view overseeing the sprawling city below. A calming, playful breeze took up, stirring litter along the streets and kicking up spray from the lazily running canals. Routine had developed- so it was somewhat expected of the ANBU guards to pull their earplugs from their pockets at around this time of the day...

**"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T CHANGE MY TEAM?!"**

The Gurenkage's glare was said to be legendary; capable of reducing even the most stout of will into a pathetic whimpering pile of sludge. Said glare was turned upon the owner of the scream as she twiddled a finger in her ear in a vain attempt to stop the ringing. Unfortunately the ninja before her desk was likewise legendary for his stubbornness, and something as mundane as a glare that could freeze lava couldn't hope to deter such straightforward pigheadedness.

"Just what I said, idiot. The teams were carefully fitted out by skill and experience to benefit all of the members, including you, the jounin instructor. I can't just allow a change on every whim, or we'd have chaos and nothing would get done!" The man before her huffed, tanned arms crossing as he scowled at her over the wooden desk like a petulant child being refused a candy from the shelf.

The shinobi glowering over her desk was one of Hanagakure's top special jounin- a taijutsu specialist by the name of Zhì Tiangou. Standing at an impressive six-foot-seven, his solid frame was built with heavy compacted muscle and broad shoulders. Striking blue hair contrasted with his darkly tanned skin, extremely short in the back and reaching a peak of an inch and a half in wild spikes the further up his head you went; three long braids reaching his lower back and attaching at the base of his skull complete the bizarre hair style. He wears nothing upon his upper torso save his open flak vest and a thick leather belt holding the village symbol on a metal plate in place of a buckle; rust colored shinobi gauntlets with metal knuckle and elbow guards adorn his arms; on his lower body is a similarly colored set of leggings, tied close to his leg in crossing patterns beneath the knee and down the leg with twine. In general he tends to forgo the standard issue shinobi sandals in favor of black, closed toe luohan shoes.

Were an individual to have high enough clearance to read the jounin's personal file they would be surprised to discover that the man had only been a ninja for a grand total of five years. He was just one of many that had left a prior life to make their own way in Hanaga, though unlike the cases of the deserters, Tiangou was actually a former tattoo monk from the Northern Iwa mountain monastery. Here and there one can see the faint beginnings of a black inked shape, hidden mostly beneath clothing, though two in particular stood out on his arms- simplistic in design, a tiger stood prowling upon his right bicep while a serpent coiled around his left. Besides the unknown number of 'special' tattoos upon his person, Tiangou had only two that were merely decoration- thin black lines that started just beneath either eye, following along his cheek bone and then cutting a slightly less than ninety degree angle to follow his jaw for an inch and a half. They framed an expressive face with a strong jaw, his wide mouth usually drawn into a mischievous grin, though now pulled into a ferocious scowl-

"That's just it- you're not getting it! The _brats_ aren't the problem!"

In response Fuji-sama arched a finely trimmed eyebrow and wondered from experience with this particular jounin if she even really wanted to know. Instead she chose to humor him, though with her superior ninja instincts, she knew a headache was soon in arriving.

"And _what_ exactly would the problem be, Tiangou?"

"The team number! You gave me the team number FOUR! Do you even _know_ what that number stands for? Do you?! DEATH! What, do you want to doom my first team before we even start?! I want it changed!" Throughout his tirade the Gurenkage's eyebrow began to twitch at an alarmingly increasing rate, a tick mark on her forehead making itself home soon after. So, it was perfectly natural for the ANBU listening through muffed ears outside to hear the sound of breaking wood and a distant splash of water.

From her window overseeing the balcony the Gurenkage dusted her hands, giving the damage to the window ledge a cursory glance of assessment. Leaving the shutters open had been a good idea- had she thrown Tiangou through the window with them closed it would have likely cost her a whole new pair!

From his position falling upside-down, Tiangou let out an exasperated sigh; his arms still crossed and head tilted slightly to the side. Did his boss always have to resort to throwing him from the tower (literally) every time he came to discuss something? Really now! This was like the third time this month!

He straightened his spine after heading down five stories, relaxing his shoulders to allow his body to streamline into the water. Little shock was absorbed by the fall, and soon he pulled himself up onto the surface of the water, chakra forming under his feet as he casually walked back to shore. Absent-mindedly he wrung out the water from his braids, scowling at the potential filth they may have picked up from the canal. Finally he flipped them back over his shoulder, leaving a dripping trail in his wake as he went on his way to the Academy. He had some teachers to pester and some brats to pick up.

Chakra gathering into the stringy muscles of his calves, Tiangou pumped his legs and started running. A great leap later and he made it to one of the nearby roofs and started the age old tradition of ninja travel- roof top hopping. In record time Tiangou made it to the Academy housed within the village's Secondary petals, a slightly dome-shaped building made (as most buildings were in Hanaga) by the rich clay harvested off of the canal shores. Inside the lobby seemed nearly sterile; the lighting was harsh and there wasn't much decoration, but then again, that did give the little hellions less to hide behind. And so the jounin crossed his arms behind his back and waited....and waited....and- oh, who was he for waiting, anyway? With a roguish look that just spelled trouble coming over his features, Tiangou reached for the bell and began tapping it in rapid-fire succession.

A few moments later and an irritable chuunin secretary jogged out from a room down the hall, a stack of files tucked under his arm and a vein throbbing on his forehead. Tiangou merely grinned and raised an eyebrow in inquiry, a slight snicker escaping him when the man snatched the bell from under his hand.

"_Yes_, Tiangou-san? Is there any particular reason why you are gracing us here at the office with your presence, rather than seeing to your team in training ground 12?" Completely ignoring the bitter sarcasm being directed at his person, Tiangou allowed a look of surprise to flit over his features.

"So _that's_ where I was supposed to meet them! Thanks for telling me, Mr. Secretary- you're a real pal!" And with a brief salute he was off, leaving a sputtering chuunin throwing curses at his quickly receding back.

Heading south down the many cut pathways of the training grounds, Tiangou passes the countless clearings full of training equipment and traps. Each one is granted a simple label- 9...10....11.....ah, training ground number 12.

Tiangou paused before crossing over the several yards into the clearing, momentarily wondering if he should wait for some sort of signal before entering or...

**"We will now begin to assign your GENNIN TEAMS!"**

Well when you're given an obvious opening why squander it, eh? Besides, such a bloodcurdling roar of noise could only ever be taken as a challenge for one such as Him. So with a snap to his step and a smirk tugging his lips, Tiangou leisurely crossed the remaining distance and leaned against a nearby tree.

Children, barely even reaching the height of the tall shinobi's abdomen, scurried like little woodland animals about the clearing- obeying the loud voice emitted from the megaphone. When finally his team number was called he pushed off from the tree and, with a sharp bout of speed, appeared suddenly near the man with the megaphone in mid yell-

**"GOOD MORNING MY **_**STUDENTS!**_** Are you ready for a new day of LEAR**_**NING**_**?"** Chakra strengthened already well developed lungs from years of combat and meditation, creating a level of volume that reached ear-splitting and easily drowned out the poor chuunin's words. Fists placed at his hips, a Cheshire cat grin on his face, and a devious spark in his eyes; Tiangou definitely cut a bizarre figure.

~*~

_I can't help but think that there is something that's going to happen sometime soon._ A young gennin thought to himself.

No, it's not one of those "events that you go through that will change your life forever," kind of something. He's already going to go through one of those- he literally signed himself up for it after all.

It was a small, simple piece of paper taped to the triple-wide chalkboard at the front of the large classroom. And, as plain as the buzz of the florescent lights above him, the words stated quite clearly what everyone was supposed to do within the next week. And though he was forced to weave through a crowded mass of his peers, he finally was able to read it.

"All graduates: Meet on the training grounds to be assigned your jounin sensei."

_Yeah, that applies to me, all right. Homura Yojin. Just your normal 12-year-old gennin-to-be. Yawn._

Scratching lightly at his short red hair, he made his way to the back of the classroom, the clock above the blackboard ticking ever closer to the time when all the graduates would burst in; all looking for the ticket to their jounin instructor; their ticket that allows them to become a full-fledged ninja.

Scooting his way into one of the back rows of the classroom, Yojin looked on as students come into the room; wave after wave of excitement and anticipation. It's almost impossible to get out of the room at this point through the torrent of graduates. His choices were pretty much limited to swimming upstream through the river of ex-students, or… jumping out of the third-story window.

And so, he was stuck there, looking straight towards the blackboard and watching nothing in particular and merely thinking of something that escaped him at the moment.

Yawn.

It's a simple walk to the training grounds though in the meantime the young man found himself stuck between looking forward to meeting his superior and dreading the "something" that he just KNEW was going to happen that day.

And why? Because, his premonitions of annoyance were rarely wrong.

There was this one time during the academy that he felt something was going to happen, and then promptly got someone's pudding thrown onto his face. Another time, he had the same feeling, and was soon met with a teacher's sadistic "training" session which consisted of much running, jumping, and dodging various pointy (yet not lethal) objects. _And finally, there was that one time a few years ago…_

You know what? Never mind that; he was starting to digress.

And so, as he finally (finally!) left the crowded Academy to start on the path with the others he was instantly very wary of his surroundings: That precariously teetering plank on the roof of the building next door; the stampede of running gennin-to-be excitedly rushing towards the training grounds…

The sight of a blue-haired man being bodily thrown out of the Gurenkage tower…

What the shit?

A distant splash moments later was heard as the man's fall path arced down and into one of the canals.

Okay…moving _right_ along…

Now approaching the training grounds Yojin realized that the place was already crawling with the people of the Academy. There were jounin left and right, merely waiting for their gennin students to be assigned to them as well as a large, clamoring, excited mass of said students attempting to determine the teacher they'd want to have.

He sat down underneath a nearby tree, folding his hands behind his head and leaning back onto the rough tree bark. A small smile appears on his face as he started to relax amongst the roar of the crowd. And man, is it _loud_.

But, then again, loud as the graduates may be, their excitement is justified. Yojin was too….he just, didn't show it very well…

And over the clamor of the crowd Yojin heard a small giggle. He looked around and finally noticed one of his classmates standing nearby.

The kid looked normal enough on the outside- brown hair hanging near his ears and long bangs brushing a little past regular ole' brown eyes. His clothing was a little weird, though; he wore a sleeveless black high-collared shirt with matching black arm warmers that covered the full forearm and off-white pants folded up to just under his knee, but on the center of his chest was a brilliant white cross, simple in design and stretching to about the size of the average man's hand span. Yojin had never been much for social interaction so he didn't even remember the kid's name, much less what the purpose of the symbol was. Admittedly, he's kind of cute in an innocent, childish sort of way; but heaven forbid the redhead ever say that aloud.

The boy runs past the tree Yojin rested against, toting a large, giddily excited smile. And as his classmate continues past he noticed one thing.

"Um… you're gonna hit that branch…" he muttered.

Apparently Yojin didn't say it loud enough because his classmate kept running forward, blissfully unaware of his impending pain as apparently his eyes were squeezed shut from the large grin adorning his face.

"Hey kid, you're about to run into that…" he said a bit louder, but unfortunately…

**WHAM!**

The clumsy kid clips his chin on a low branch. He falls over; landing on the grass and snapping his eyes open. He looks up to see the offending tree, sitting up and scrubbing furiously at his throat. A drop of sweat formed on the back of his watcher's head.

"I hope no one saw that…" the boy says, looking left and right.

_Well, I sure saw that,_ Yojin thought with a bemused chuckle. The boy dodged the tree and moved on. He couldn't look at his eyes to see whether they were open or not, but a stray, exasperated thought entered Yojin's head the moment the excitable kid went out of view.

_I sure hope he's not on my team… _

And at just that moment a loud, booming sound of a megaphone-enhanced voice filled the clearing. The redhead stood slowly, ignoring the prickly feeling of returning blood flow in his legs.

**"Okay, may I have your attention, PLEASE!"** Obviously, this guy's never used a megaphone before as the sound of groaning fills the air. Yojin suppressed a cringe.

**"We will now begin to assign your GENNIN TEAMS!"**The sound of cheering graduates fills the air. Yojin rubbed the ringing sound out of his ears and subsequently covered them. The cheering calmed down very slowly as the next announcement was made.

**"Okay, we will NOW announce the teams! Please stand where you are INSTRUCTED to do so!"**

Uncovering his ears, Yojin moved toward the center of the clearing, and the semi-large group continued within it. Chuunin are scattered within the mass, toting clipboards and handing out small slips of paper. Yojin received his; a 4. The group begins to disperse as children are taken out and separated into teams. High-fives, hugs, and vows of impeding butt-kickings surrounded him.

**"TEAM 4: PLEASE gather right HERE!"** a different voice booms.

The people around Yojin cringe. Heck, _he_ cringed. _Has anyone around here ever used a megaphone before? Shit, man…_

He looked down at his paper and walked towards one of the men with an obvious lack of knowledge of sound-amplifying technology. He gave a small sigh of resignation as the man with the megaphone calls out again…while he was in front of him.

**"Will a Mister Ichou Ren PLEASE come to the SOUTHWEST portion of the training grounds?!" **

"Right here!" a familiar voice called behind Yojin. He turned and saw…the kid from before…

Oh boy…

~*~

A young girl nervously pushed a lock of hair out of purple eyes, though the dark lock almost instantly fell back into place. She glanced around her with the one uncovered eye, quietly falling into step behind one of the other graduates in the hope that someone knew where she should be going. She looked down again at the slip of paper clutched in her palm, once again confirming her group number, though it shouldn't have been that hard - it was just a plain 4. The only question was what did that...

**"TEAM 4: PLEASE gather right HERE!"**

Well, that gave her the answer. Quickly using her lack of height as an advantage for once, she slipped through the crowd and came to a stop behind the other two members of her group. Both were boys, and both were taller than her - no surprise - so at least she wouldn't get that much attention.

She hoped.

~*~

Behind a tree beyond the instructor with a volume control problem, Yojin finally took notice of a man reclining against a tree, eyes lazily glancing over the students and chuunin milling about. Needless to say, the guy looked kind of…odd. Not that it was Yojin's problem, but he couldn't help a small feeling of foreboding…

As the man announcing the teams spoke to the group about the tasks of a ninja, how one must observe the honor of the village of Hanagakure and blah, blah, blah, a devious grin appeared on the face of the blue-haired man. A stray thought/prayer entered Yojin's head:

_Please, Lord in Heaven above, say that this man is merely a member of the clean-up crew…__  
_  
The redhead watched the man intently as he seemed to tense his muscles… and then disappear.

**"GOOD MORNING MY **_**STUDENTS!**_** Are you ready for a new day of LEAR**_**NING**_**?"**

Oh _damn…the guy was worse than the instructor with the megaphone. _It was like the sound of one of the port ship's turbine engines amplified countless times over. _Wait- even __that__ wouldn't give this guy justice._

It's like the voice of God sprang forth from the heavens and blessed this man with the voice to speak to the masses… mounting in the thousands…

As the siren-like ring erupts from the gennins' ears, Yojin could only see the faint vision of his new 'teammates' clutching fruitlessly at their own heads, eyes watering from the sudden sting the sound produced.

He shot the man a glare as his teeth clenched together.

~*~

Glad that he now had the runts' attention Tiangou raised his arms and clapped once, closed eyes arched and smile in place. One kid in particular caught his notice- the red haired one with a glare aimed right at him. Oh, he would have _fun_ with that one!

"I am Zhì Tiangou- your jounin instructor. Team Four, come with me." He took pity on them enough to speak in a normal tone of voice this time. Following up his concise words, Tiangou spun on his heel and began walking to a different clearing for a little "alone time" with his team in order to share some "emotional feed-back" and "get-to-know-them." Obviously one would have to be an idiot not to catch exactly how Tiangou viewed the B.S. spewed out of the bowls of Touchy-Feely Academy.

"Alright brats," he started once he reached a new clearing, stopping to recline on a fractured boulder in the center. "You know the drill. Names; specialties; goals; hobbies; and whatever extra crap you want to spill. The little boy midget; the min-ninja. You first."

There was a brief pause, the kids glancing between each other with the shared instincts of a group confronted with a raving lunatic, hesitantly following Tiangou and sitting down with his lead- Ren plopping firmly on the grass in the middle, the girl daintily perching upon one of the many fallen rocks to the left, while Yojin moodily crouched with his back against another larger stone to the right- the three forming a loose semicircle before the jounin.

The brunette perked upon the realization he was being called, though whether he registered the jounin's words as an insult or was just ignoring them was left up in the air. Grinning so hard it was nearly painful to watch, the boy chirped out his introduction: "My name is Ichou Ren. My specialty is medical jutsu and light combat taijutsu. As for my goal, I wish to become like my father someday! Hobbies… I like to collect plushies! And – um… Oh! I just turned seven a couple of months ago, too! And, and- I think that's it."

Through the kid's introduction Tiangou merely nodded along, kinda bored and only half listening. Really, the whole thing was more for their benefit anyway- _he_ would learn more about them if they passed _his_ test. However, once the name "Ichou" clicked in his memory his eyes narrowed in thought, finally piecing together the bits of the brat's introduction and making the bridge between 'medic' and the name.

"Holy CRAP!" Tiangou recoiled in horror. "You're **his** brat? I didn't know that jackass even HAD a son!" He slapped a hand over his face and dragged it down, a groan ending his sentence. Great! It was bad enough the Head Medic was always on his case about not caring for his body properly during missions- now he would see him even more often as he nagged about his son!

A small frown formed upon the brunette's face, invoking a toned down but eerily familiar (now that Tiangou was able to make the comparison) feeling of discomfort. The Head Medic was usually able to reduce even the most seasoned of shinobi to a squirming bundle of nerves under that creepy wolf's glare of his.

"Sir, that was incredibly rude of you! You- you show bad manners- er- you show a terrible, a terrible…. You are making a bad example for us!" When the boy finished struggling to find the right way to voice his displeasure (likely voicing phrases from his silver-tongued father…) Tiangou merely snorted in retort to the seven-year-olds light scolding, a brow arching skeptically at him.

"Kid, if I don't bother to accommodate my _boss_ with manners what makes you think you'd be an exception?" He decided to move on with the rest of their little kum-bay-ya, and nodded toward the girl of their team. "Alright, you- the quiet one. Have at it."

The kunoichi jumped a little in surprise - she'd gotten so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't been paying attention. She pressed her hands together in front of her lips in a nervous habit, nibbling a little on the bottom of her lip.

"W-Well..." She trailed her one exposed eye around the group a bit awkwardly. "My name's Raita... Chiisai Raita. M-My specialty is, um, genjutsu, I guess, and I like using wind jutsus. My hobbies are reading and... cloud watching...and I d-don't really have a goal..." She glanced down, suddenly fascinated by the dirt under her feet. "I'd kinda like to help people, though..."

She winced a bit at the pathetic sound of her own voice. _Great,_ she thought. _Now they're all going to think I'm some kind of loser and I'm gonna get left behind..._

For the first time that morning Yojin glanced over to the female of their group. The only thing noticeable at first glance is the fact that she is shorter than Ren, the 7-year-old. Her garb was a little bizarre, an enormous purple sweater (Yojin had thought it was a dress at first, it was so huge on her) swamped her small body, stopping just above a pleated skirt that reached her knees and black stocking covered legs- heavy leather boots laced up to mid calf ending her apparel.

However, despite her lack of ninja-garb know-how, she seems to be turning out to be pretty interesting. Wind techniques and genjutsu can prove to be very useful, the redhead thought to himself, while her hobby says that she's a calm individual. The only problem he could really find with her was that her lack of a goal basically _screams_ indecisiveness…but she seems to have a good heart given the muttered statement afterward.

Raita felt eyes on her and glanced up. For a split second, she caught Yojin's eye. She flashed him a very quick smile, sending a message that was something between encouraging and 'staring makes me nervous, please stop' before she looked back to their sensei.

Sensei was a strange person. He didn't seem too enthusiastic about teaching them, though he'd been very loud and eager at the gathering. She wondered what kind of person he was, what kind of things that he'd teach them, and almost got excited thinking about it. Infiltration techniques and spells had always been her favorite. She wondered if Tiangou-sensei was good at that kind of thing, even though he really looked more like a 'strength' kind of person.

Ren seemed like an interesting person, too - carefree and happy, childlike, as she supposed he had to be, since he was only seven years old. She wondered how a child so young could have pushed his way to the Genin rank so quickly, and how he could be so happy about it. She was looking forward to getting to know him.

And then there was Yojin. She wondered if he remembered her at all - they were the same age and in the same class at the Academy, after all. She remembered the day he'd joined them there, coming in towards the middle of the semester and impressing all the teachers with his skills. But it wasn't like she'd ever talked to him or anything - just glance at him out of the corner of her eye, the way she did with most of her classmates, and wonder about what kind of character he would be...

Tiangou's bored gaze softened fractionally upon the stuttering girl. Never would he admit on pain of torture, but he did have a bit of a soft spot for women and little girls- the Gurenkage didn't count since she was a walking terror upon this earth... In any case, she was a shy little thing- but he'd beat that out of her soon enough!

"Good!" He barked out after her words. "You have a direction you're going in your ninjutsu- makes my job easier! Gives me more time to get to the **fun** stuff." Insert mischievous grin here.

Finally Tiangou turned to the last member of team and his grin turned devious. The kid's hair wasn't red so much as auburn really, strands getting in the kid's eyes every now and then, despite the Hanaga forehead protector, that were pushed testily out of the way and getting to their peak of length hanging past his ears and brushing the underside of his jaw line. His clothes were simple enough; a short sleeved shirt adorned his chest while khaki colored Capri's ended just under his knees, a dark red stylized symbol of a fire ball (the same color as his shirt) was embroidered into the lower sides of his leggings. A beige scarf and a dark wrist band finished the ensemble, a small bell decorating the end of the two tips hanging behind him (though it seemed the kid could walk without making a disturbance). So the little hotshot wanted to shoot him nasty looks, eh? Well, he'd _give_ him a reason to.

"Alright Cupcake, _your_ turn."

A definite twitch appeared beneath the redhead's right eye at this, his teeth gritting while his gaze intensified. "My name's Homura Yojin. I'm _delighted_ to make your acquaintance. My specialty is long range fire ninjutsu."

The simple part's over. Now comes the stuff Yojin felt he might need to announce with some tact. Looking up to the sky and taking up a thoughtful pose, he unconsciously disengaged the glare as he thought about what to say.

"My hobby is…relaxing on the grass in the field near my house…"

_It reminds me of home…_

"…and practicing my fire ninjutsu…"

_I like the rush that comes with the fire that I produce. Plus… my family would want me to do that anyway…_

"My goal is…" He trailed off, thinking about how he should phrase it without sounding treasonous or malicious… He wasn't, not really. His right hand rubbed his left wrist; a habitual gesture as he fussed with the band like one might pick at a scab.

"…well, I'll just keep that to myself at the moment."

If Raita could pride herself on anything - which she didn't, at least not very often - it was her observation and memorization skills. Though she hadn't mentioned it, for fear of coming across as 'creepy', her 'cloud watching' hobby was actually sitting on the roof of her house, or the school building, and watching the people as they went by, remembering their mannerisms and trying to figure out what it meant about their character. She had done it for so long - ever since she'd read her first fairytale at age 3 - that it was second nature now, and she did it with everyone.

So when she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, the odd way that Yojin rubbed his arm as he spoke, she filed it away in the back of her mind for future reference before turning back to their teacher.

"So...um, T-Tiangou-sensei...w-we've told you everything, but we don't really know anything about you..." She swallowed a little bit. "I mean...that doesn't seem too fair, d-does it?"

Tiangou's grin turned gradually more smug throughout the red-head's little shpeal, finally arching his brow at the kid's attempt to be 'mysterious' and conceal something about himself.

"Whatever kiddo. Your funeral." And he left off with that cryptic comment when the brat decided to 'keep it to himself.' He then assumed a thinking pose, hand grasping his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose you're right about that. Okay! My name you already know; I'm a heavy combat taijutsu specialist. My hobbies include collecting good luck charms and finding new ways to annoy the _piss_ out of my fellow shinobi. Hum... goals? Ah! My goal is to survive to thirty." He finally nodded after that, looking self-satisfied.

Raita resisted the urge to giggle at the 'survive to 30' comment. She knew quite well that it was very serious - her father had pushed that into all six of their heads from a very early age - but Sensei's tone had been so nonchalant that it was almost funny. She covered her mouth with her sleeve, canceling out the tiny little squeak that managed to escape, and settled back.

Not really knowing what to say, she pulled her legs up onto the rock with her and rested her head on top of her knees. She peaked up at Tiangou and the boys through her bangs, curious. "So, um...now what?"

Tiangou's seemingly rapid mood swings had often been a subject of much amusement and inquiry amongst the other jounin he had worked with- many fondly referring to him as the "Bi-polar Ninja" while others still claimed he must have been a woman in his past life. All of them however, despite their joking and disagreements about the origin of his bizarre behavior, came to the simultaneous conclusion that it definitely made for a disorienting conversation with him.

And such would be the case now, when Tiangou casually leaned forward onto his haunches, elbows placed on his knees and fingers laced together. He rested his chin on his knuckles and peered at the gennin with a placid expression, eyes slightly shadowed and once cheerfully smiling mouth drawn into a neutral line. Yet beneath the fine layer of lethargy there was a pressure, a steel-trap tension in his muscles and a sharpness to the glint in his eyes. The joker had been thrown into his mind's closet; the tiger underneath had stalked out.

"Now?" He asked with barely a lilt to indicate that indeed it was a question. "Tell me, have you ever paid attention to the number of graduates each year at the Academy. With as many children as there are, one would think that our village would have more gennin teams, yes? But we don't, and oddly enough, with as many 'bright' young prodigies as we have not one of you runts have ever asked why." He paused here, looking at them each in the eye in turn, before continuing.

"So I'm gonna let you in on a little known fact. The truth is; we _can't_. In every Hidden Village there are _never_ enough jounin around; most either away on long term missions, suffering from injuries/sickness, or many just dying in the field. It's hard enough to replace them without getting the new rookies killed on their first A rank. So instead, as I imagine you've worked out in your heads, we weed out the weaklings and only take the best. Your chuunin instructor tested you all to see if you had what it took to be a ninja. **I** am going to test you to see if you have what it takes to be gennin."

Silence greeted the jounin's final words, all three gennin drawn inward to their own thoughts as they digested this new information. Finally Ren glanced up at his two other teammates, a puzzled expression on his face as he met the eyes of the other two. Raita seemed to be shrinking a little, worrying herself into a little ball while Yojin took on a more calculated look, bronze eyes narrowing in thought.

_This is certainly interesting_, the redhead thought to himself. After all of their work, the jounin was telling them that they still weren't gennin yet; merely people with shiny metal bands.

But, what sort of test would the jounin give? It was a snowball's chance in hell that he would give the three a written exam; that's already been done. _And I have a feeling it's not his style._ He could give them a exam on their abilities as ninja, but Yojin don't think he would be patient enough to sit still while they showed him what they could do. He could give them a physical prowess exam… _Yeah, that seems to be something that this guy would do._ He didn't know the jounin that well, but it seemed a more likely choice than the former mentioned…

_Whatever he does, I bet we could handle it. What's the worst that could happen?_

_"I don't like his tone of voice..."_ Raita thought, not moving from her place. Actually, if anything, she pulled her legs a little tighter to herself and nearly shrank behind her headband.

Another test? Already? But...they'd only _just_ got here, _just_ made it to the gennin rank, and they were just starting to get to know each other, and...and...

And if she dropped out now, her brothers would _**never**_ let her live it down, let alone her father!

"What...What kind of test?" She asked, choosing her words very carefully. "Whatta we have to do? And... And what happens if we fail?"

Now that he had figuratively 'dropped the bomb' onto his potential students, Tiangou took a moment to gauge their reactions. Body language and expressions were things he was pretty good at reading, especially since as a taijutsu master he was nearly required to have upmost control over his own. Without the ability to use genjutsu he had to rely on subtle signals and instinctive reactions to trick the minds of his enemies. And sometimes, reactions picked up unconsciously were more useful than any illusion ever could be.

They were a bit alarmed by his attitude, so he had them on their toes. And yet... it seemed only the girl had quite begun to grasp the seriousness of their dilemma. _She_ at least could read somewhat between the lines, so a point for her. _Sigh_. But the boys were confident that his test would be as easy and safe as the ones at their Academy. Reality was about to give them a harsh wakeup call…

"What kind of test? Why, survival training of course." A pause, and then the beginnings of a sadistic grin. "Against me."

Following up his words Tiangou unlaced his hands and leaned back a ways, preparing to enlighten the kids a little. "As for what happens to you if you fail? Well, look at it this way. Our village can only really afford to let three jounin train their teams at a time. That means of the thirty three graduates that passed your Academy exam only nine would be allowed to become gennin. So I guess that would mean you'd have a....oh, little over 27% chance to pass."

To break up the effect of his last sentence Tiangou clapped once again, his neutral expression seemingly shattered by the sharp clash of noise. The joker was back in place again, and he was cheerfully smiling down at the children before him.

"But never mind that! We'll be having our test tomorrow- so be sure to get a good night's rest and some food in your stomach. You're just as likely to throw it up, but it's better to have the energy in your system all the same, yes? Be sure to be ready to wake up early- and don't worry about the meeting place. You'll know soon. Dismissed!" However, before he could rise as he had wanted, the jounin was interrupted by a squawk of protest from the youngest of the group.

"Huh!? How are we supposed to beat you? You're way out of our league!" Ren's eyes widened in fear and his body went rigid with tension. Compared with Tiangou, their whole team wouldn't last for very long against him even if the taijutsu master decided to handicap himself.

Raita felt the bottom drop out of her stomach, and quietly, she agreed with Ren's statement. Their chances of beating a full-fledged jounin were less than nothing, even if they all ganged up on him, and from what she had seen, they weren't exactly the most compatible group in the world. Interesting, yes, but compatible...

Yojin himself began to quickly backtrack, going over facts in his head even while the jounin's words settled heavily on his stomach. Tiangou-sensei was an annoying idiot with a volume control problem but he hadn't lied to them thus far (that he knew of)… truthfully the redhead didn't believe they stood a chance. If he knew where they were to go for the test he could probably have scouted the area for something that he could use to give them a territorial edge…

Tiangou had to admit- the kids' reactions were funny. A seventy three percent chance of failure was hardly a deterrent. In fact, it was an advantage many higher ranked ninja would kill for (literally) in the more dangerous stuff.

"You three; quit whining! You didn't even bothering listening to what I said! You don't have to _beat_ me, just survive against me. There _is_ a difference. Jeez." An almost audible sigh of relief seemed to exude from the three gennin then, realizing that the difficultly level of their test had gone from 'nigh impossible' to 'somewhat feasible'- surviving, after all, was what ninja did best. Glancing up at the sun's position and judging the time to be decently late in the evening with the growing shadows, Ren hoped up from his sitting position and dusted off the back of his pants.

"I guess I should get going now, I'll see you guys tomorrow." Ren waved good bye to his team mates and made his way a nearby stream that would take him to the main canals, jumping down from the bank. He then concentrated the chakra to his feet and started walking above the gentle current; this path would be both enjoyable and easy for Ren to make back to his house on the other side of the village.

Raita smiled, waving goodbye to Ren, though she was somewhat surprised when he started walking down the canal. To be so young and to already have enough chakra control to walk on water…. But then she remembered that he had said he practiced medical jutsu, so it would be only natural that he would have to have good control of his chakra reserves…

She turned back to Yojin, pulling her hands behind her back. "I guess that means you and I should be heading home now too, huh, Homura-kun?" She smiled at him once more from under her bangs, turning to bow to Tiangou politely. "Thank you very much for today, sensei. I guess that...I'll see you both tomorrow. Have a good night's rest."

With one more little smile and a nod, she waved a last good bye and began back towards the village, starting out at a run but soon slowly to a leisurely stroll, so she could look up at the clouds that dotted the blue sky.

Yojin shot Raita a small smile; she was quite nice for one with such a short stature. He responded in the positive and gave her an acknowledging wave as she runs off, away from the training ground. And… that left him alone with 'Mega-mouth' as he had recently began to call his sensei in mind. Not giving the jounin another chance to annoy him, the redhead gave a slight, grudging bow, then turned and walked away in a quickened, yet controlled pace.

Nothing of interest really occurred after Tiangou's students left the clearing, besides a real demonstration of maturity from the jounin himself when he stuck his tongue out at the redheaded gennin's retreating back. Hooking his thumbs into his belt, he rolled his shoulders until he heard a satisfying pop, and with a sigh he headed back to his flat. He would need to hit the sack early for what he had planned in the morning...

Tbc

Translator:

Zhì Tiangou- (Chinese) roughly translates into 'aggressive tiger'

Homura - a common last name in the Japanese culture

Yojin- **smoldering fire, embers; also translates into 'trailing dust' or 'aftereffects'**

**Ichou- lone butterfly**

Ren- party, company, group (this will make a lot more sense much later on in the story…)

Chiisai Raita- tiny writer

Author's comments: And thus the test begins. Look out soon for chapter 2, and see exactly how the kids do under their jounin sensei's 'unique' teaching method. Please review if you have questions or comments- flames will predictably be ignored.


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